This month Margaret Simon posed our Inklings challenge. She asked us to write a kenning poem, and directed us to the Poetry Foundation’s explanation of kennings: “A figurative compound word that takes the place of an ordinary noun. Many kennings rely on myths or legends to make meaning and are found in Old Germanic, Norse, and English poetry, including The Seafarer, in which the ocean is called a “whale-path.” (See Ezra Pound’s translation). “The Oven Bird” by Robert Frost also includes examples such as “mid-wood” and “petal-fall.””

Here’s what I came up with:

In Praise of the August Bee

As light shifts
and lingering blossoms blaze
in heat-scorched fields,
you, thrumming honey-maker,
continue your work
undaunted.

Oh, blossom-diver, 
your advance is marked
by the dip and bend of stalks
and their speckled shadowdance
over thirsty ground.

You, benevolent thief, 
collect your autumn-gold 
leaving no trace,
merely the echo of your buzz,
and the soft petal-drop
of blossoms in your wake,
along with the promise
of future sweetness.

©Molly Hogan

If you want to see what the other Inklings did with this challenge, click on their links. Catherine won’t be participating this month and Heidi may not be either. You can still enjoy their most recent posts :).

Mary Lee @ A(nother) Year of Reading
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche 
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Catherine @ Reading to the Core

I also went down an apian rabbit hole and discovered an ancient Anglo Saxon Bee Charm used to prevent swarming. I was charmed by it and delighted to notice that it used a kenning!

Sitte ge, sīgewīf,   sīgað tō eorðan,
næfre ge wilde   tō wuda fleogan,
beō ge swā gemindige,   mīnes gōdes,
swā bið manna gehwilc,   metes and ēðeles.

Settle down, victory-women, sink to earth,
never be wild and fly to the woods.
Be as mindful of my welfare,
as is each man of border and of home.

This week’s Poetry Friday is hosted by Patricia J. Franz at her blog, Reverie. Be sure to stop by and gather up some poetry treasure!